Is this a tick??

waterjug

Senior member
Jan 21, 2012
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Was scratching my stomach today and felt a lump in my bellybutton, felt like something was attached inside of it...scratched harder, and felt a tug, and then pulled this bug from out of my bellybutton. D:

what the FUCK is this...I have it in a bag now, it's obviously dead, but wtf man.


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lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,044
10,533
126
Look on the bright side. It's a Rocky mountain spotted fever tick, not a Lyme tick :^D
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,279
14,699
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I'm in the northeast....oh wait you were joking. SHIT. haha


Ummm...

The name “Rocky Mountain spotted fever” is somewhat of a misnomer. Beginning in the 1930s, it became clear that this disease occurred in many areas of the United States other than the Rocky Mountain region. It is now recognized that this disease is broadly distributed throughout the contiguous United States, and occurs as far north as Canada and as far south as Central America and parts of South America. Between 1981 and 1996, this disease was reported from every state of the United States except for Hawaii, Vermont, Maine, and Alaska.
 

waterjug

Senior member
Jan 21, 2012
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Rocky mountain spotted fever is not a joke. Neither is lyme disease. Keep it in a bag and put it in the freezer in case you show any unusual symptoms so that the doctor can test it. Do you know how long it was in there? The chances are pretty damn low (like 1% low) that you'd get anything, but the lower the amount of time it has been attached to you the less likely you are to get anything. Also, yanking it out with your hands is not ideal. Make sure it's head is still not in you. If it is, it can still transmit disease to you.

I found a tick crawling around on me once (pretty sure it was a tick...no idea how it got there). Freaked me out. I dont think it had bitten me yet (it was still crawling around), but it seemed to almost stick to me when i pulled it off. D:

I go through the woods a lot, but haven't been in deep stuff in over a week, like 9 days so it's probably been about that long most likely
 

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
651
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It's a dog tick. Nothing to worry about, especially since it doesn't look like it fed off of you at all.
 

Avalon

Diamond Member
Jul 16, 2001
7,571
178
106
Yikes, last time I saw one of those I was a kid. Hope it stays the last time.
 

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
13,990
3,346
146
I've had plenty of ticks and I'm still alive. You will be ok dude.

You probably just have lyme disease, I've heard lock jaw isn't that bad as long as you enjoy smoothies.
 

Markbnj

Elite Member <br>Moderator Emeritus
Moderator
Sep 16, 2005
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I've had plenty of ticks and I'm still alive. You will be ok dude.

You probably just have lyme disease, I've heard lock jaw isn't that bad as long as you enjoy smoothies.

I'm in NJ, and I like to explore in the woods. I think the most embedded ticks I've had was definitely over 10. That was the result of one trip to the Pine Barrens that involved some bushwhacking. In general I believe if you get them off inside of 24 hours you're usually ok, but in any case, I've never gotten anything from them.

If you plan to be in the woods much get some Permanone. They sell it at Walmart. Treat shoes, socks, and pant legs while not wearing, and let them dry before you put them on. Do NOT treat bare skin, or clothes that you are wearing.

That stuff kills ticks dead.
 

phucheneh

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2012
7,306
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The last time I was in the woods, two other people wore bug repellent and got ticks. I neglected to use any and got nothing. Similar amount of clothing...actually, I was the only one in a T-shirt, AND it was kinda short and wouldn't stay tucked in (...to keep ticks off my wang and out of my asscrack).

I've honestly had many, many indicators that bug repellent does nothing. I think shit down here has evolved an immunity.

(edit: I'm just talking about DEET, btw. Just curious if others have also found it worthless)
 

GoodRevrnd

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2001
6,801
581
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You gotta treat the bite with something like a soldering iron. Heat it up, press to inflicted area, count to three and you should be okay.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
14,636
3,007
136
wow some advice here;

visit a doctor. show him the dead bug. get a test. go home and relax, not having to worry.

if there's any chance of disease, it's always best to attack it *before* you show any symptoms.
 

Markbnj

Elite Member <br>Moderator Emeritus
Moderator
Sep 16, 2005
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www.markbetz.net
The last time I was in the woods, two other people wore bug repellent and got ticks. I neglected to use any and got nothing. Similar amount of clothing...actually, I was the only one in a T-shirt, AND it was kinda short and wouldn't stay tucked in (...to keep ticks off my wang and out of my asscrack).

I've honestly had many, many indicators that bug repellent does nothing. I think shit down here has evolved an immunity.

(edit: I'm just talking about DEET, btw. Just curious if others have also found it worthless)

Ticks laugh at repellent. Even the high-percentage DEET products like Deep Woods Off. They do not, however, laugh at Permanone, which is Pyrethrin. They just die.
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
39,751
20,326
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tought to tell from the pictures. ticks have six legs, and being in the northeast means they're everywhere. Based on the pictures, looks like a dog tick. And it looks engorged...

You should check to see if the head or legs is still in your skin.

It doesn't appear to be a deer tick from the pictures, but you don't want Lyme disease either way. Lyme disease is transfered to the host after >36 hour meal, via saliva from the tick.

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/

CDC has some good write ups on prevention.

They're everywhere around my area. tick checks are just part of life. Lyme disease is typically transferred by nymphs because you can't feel them on you. I had an adult female tick attach to my arm about 1.5 years ago, hurt like a mofo. And that's why you don't usually get Lyme disease from the adults, because you can feel them. Get them off you before they can start the blood meal, and make sure you get it all out. If the tick is engorged (fat from your blood), seek medical attention. Lyme disease won't be detectable for weeks, but the sooner they give you the meds the better.
 
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slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
81
101
My son had a tick on his back we removed last week. It was there maybe 3-4 hours tops. Sunday, we went back in the woods and, when we got back, we made him take his shirt off to check for ticks. Where the other tick had been, there was now a large red ring that looked like a bulls eye. Yep, Lymes disease. He is now on antibiotics and the dr said we caught it early so he should be fine, but man, ticks are no joke. The 20 minutes we spent in the woods looking for morels this weekend netted 4 ticks on me, 3 on my youngest son, and 7 on my oldest son who has the lymes disease.
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
39,751
20,326
146
You gonna be a pro tick remover in no time, slag. Glad to hear you caught it early, untreated Lyme disease will fuck your shit up.
 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
81
101
tought to tell from the pictures. ticks have six legs, and being in the northeast means they're everywhere. Based on the pictures, looks like a dog tick. And it looks engorged...

You should check to see if the head or legs is still in your skin.

It doesn't appear to be a deer tick from the pictures, but you don't want Lyme disease either way. Lyme disease is transfered to the host after >36 hour meal, via saliva from the tick.

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/

CDC has some good write ups on prevention.

They're everywhere around my area. tick checks are just part of life. Lyme disease is typically transferred by nymphs because you can't feel them on you. I had an adult female tick attach to my arm about 1.5 years ago, hurt like a mofo. And that's why you don't usually get Lyme disease from the adults, because you can feel them. Get them off you before they can start the blood meal, and make sure you get it all out. If the tick is engorged (fat from your blood), seek medical attention. Lyme disease won't be detectable for weeks, but the sooner they give you the meds the better.

The tick that my son got lymes disease from hadn't been on his body for more than 4 hours. It doesn't need to be feeding for greater than 36 hours according to many studies. If you get the ring, assume you have lymes disease and we found it after 7 days, not weeks.